Dear Listers

Terebra argus Hinds 1844 has an Hawaiian subspecies named brachygyra Pilsbry
1921, in wich the subsutural band is well defined.
OK but, as I was looking here & there on the web after more pics of the
species, I found some shells with a good subsutural band, wich were fished
in eastern Malaysia. (shell.kwansei.ac.jp/~shell/pic_book/ etc...leading to
terebra argus, for example)
All were pale, as the official brachygyra (in which the eyes are about to
disappear).

Then rises a pair of questions, one excluding the other:
1- is brachygyra a true subspecies, and what are the distinctive features,
apart the subsut. band ?
... or
2- as the subsutural band cannot allow by itself the distinction btw the 2
subsp., if it was the unique distinctive feature :
    21- is brachygyra a valid name ?
    22- is it a form, with a range extension covering some areas of the
western Pacific ?

Thanks

Olivier Caro

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------